FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Right Thing To Do?

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Chapter 6:

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Written by: Seliron (Sel)

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Disclaimer:

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This story is purely fictional and does not depict any existing person, living or dead, or any real event. The characters are not human.

This story will not contain sexual interactions at all. NEVER. I'm sorry. I just don't want these two characters to do things like that, for personal reasons.

ATTENTION: This chapter gets quite dark. If you want to know how dark, take a look at the tags. You've been warned, progress on your own risk.

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Characters:

• Seliron "Sel" Lynch - Male black leopard (panther), 28 years old

• Leon, called "Leo" - Male eurasian lynx, about 8 years old

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"Wow..."

The small lynx boy's eyes widened in excitement as he stepped through the glass entrance. Never before had he set foot in a mall like this. It was simply huge, its spacious hallways spreading in every direction. The cub turned his head around, from one side to another, completely overwhelmed by the amount of stores he could see.

"Leo?"

He shook his head and turned around as he heard his name. A black panther had just entered the mall and was now trying his best to brush the snow out of his fur. Leo walked over to him, and as he approached, the panther smiled at him softly.

"Are you alright?"

"Mhmm! So we're really gonna buy something for me?"

"Sure. I promised you one Christmas present you can chose by yourself, didn't I?"

"Yeah... I just... can't believe it."

Sel ruffled the boy's headfur as they walked through the mall's main hall, heading to one of the biggest stores in here - a huge toy store. It was truly a place where dreams come true - for cubs, and sometimes even for adults.

The mall was crowded today, but that wasn't something too unusual in the weeks before Christmas. Sel took Leo's paw as they tried to find a way through the crowd of furs, and because of the sheer size of the mall they needed a few minutes to reach their destination. When they finally arrived, Leo's eyes widened even more as he saw the shop windows full of toys, games and electronics.

The cub was spellbound by the sight, and so he didn't even notice the small fox boy that stood a few steps away.

"LEO!"

The lynx cub winced heavily at the unexpected yell. The fox raced straight towards Leo and almost threw him on the floor as he pulled him into a tight hug.

"Uff... Sam...!"

"Boys..." Sel said, chuckling slightly. "Calm down before anyone gets hurt."

The fox cub smiled brightly as he let go of Leo, who had difficulties to gain his breath back.

"What are 'ya doing here, Leo?"

"Umm... we're gonna buy a Christmas present."

"Really?! We're about to do the same! Wanna join us?"

In the meantime, Sam's dad had joined them. Sel glanced at him, unsure if he would be okay with the unexpected company - but the fox nodded approvingly.

"Why not?" Sel replied. "Come on, let's get inside."

"What are 'ya getting for Christmas, Leo?" the small fox asked as they entered the store.

"I... I get to choose something by myself."

"Me too! Did you see the ads on TV for the new FurDS?" Sam exclaimed excitedly. "It's soooo awesome!"

"Yeah... I guess so..."

Leo suddenly fell silent. He had actually seen them, but he was quite sure he'd never get something so expensive. Actually, he couldn't even believe that he would get presents at all.

Meanwhile, the fox boy got increasingly restless. His head shot around as he tried to get a look of every possible toy, and it was obvious that he was about to scamper off any moment.

"Come on, let's explore!"

With that, the fox cub grabbed Leo's paw and dragged him off into the labyrinth of shelves. Their sudden vanishing worried Sel a bit, but a quick glance at Sam's dad told him that the fox didn't share this feeling - in fact, he actually chuckled.

"Don't worry, they'll show up again. After all, they need money to buy something."

As the cubs were roaming around the store on their own, the adults had some time alone. They walked through the store slowly, both searching for interesting toys their cubs could like. That was a challenge, though, as the huge amount of different things made it difficult to stay focused on something.

"So, how's your boy doing, Sel?"

"Well... he's fine, I guess. It's good for him to finally have a friend."

"Yeah... it's good for Sam, too. He spent a lot of time alone in his room after... well, you know what happened. Anyway, he's much happier now that he's friends with Leon."

Their short conversation got interrupted, though, as they walked around the next corner.

"Well, guess it'll be an expensive Christmas this year..." Sel said, smiling.

In front of them, there was a large area free of shelves. In there, the store had set up booths where everyone could try out the new FurDS - and Leo and Sam hadn't wasted any minute to occupy one of them.

The boys were heavily distracted by their game, and so they didn't even notice the adults approaching them. Sam's dad stepped closer and took a glance at the price tag pinned on the outside of the booth. He sighed, making the boys jump in surprise.

"Sam..." he mumbled. "It's nice that you like it, but you know we can't afford that..."

"Yeah..." the fox boy said, his ears flattening in disappointment. "It sucks to be poor..."

Since his wife had died, Sam's dad tried his best to keep their former standard of living - but with his wife's income missing, he quickly had to admit that it was impossible to do that. They were about to sell their house to move into a smaller apartment, but it would probably stay difficult for them.

"Sam?" Leo suddenly spoke up. "Come on, there's so much awesome stuff in here, we'll find something different!"

Sam's face lit up as he heard that suggestion. He quickly hopped out of the booth, following Leo - and a moment later, the cubs scampered off into the labyrinth of shelves again. From time to time, one could see them, rushing through the whole store excitedly - but the adults didn't worry too much about them, they were busy with their own business: Searching for presents.

Time passed, and as Sel and Sam's dad had found something they thought their cubs would like, they decided to leave.

Leo and Sam hadn't appeared for a while now, so they called out for them, multiple times - but no one answered them. Even Sam's dad got slightly worried now, but just in this moment a young fox boy rushed around the corner - alone.

"S-sorry, I didn't hear you..." the cub stuttered, out of breath.

"Where's Leo, Sam?"

"Uhh... I... I don't know." Sam said, frowning in confusion. "We split up 'cause he wanted to look at some drawing stuff..."

"Can you show us where he wanted to go?"

Sam nodded and pointed to the other end of the store. The adults followed him as he lead them to a small corner full of pencils, brushes, paints and paper - but it was empty, no one was here.

"Leo? Are you here somewhere?"

Sel's head shot around, scanning the surrounding area, but he couldn't find any trace of the lynx boy. He rushed through the whole store, searching every alley and every corner where a small cub could possibly hide - but he couldn't find him. The boy wasn't anywhere in the store.

Worries and fears slowly spread through the panther's heart as he returned to Sam and his dad. The adult fox was talking to the cashier, and by the look on his face, it wasn't a pleasant conversation.

"You didn't notice anything? Did you take a break or something?"

"N-no, I didn't see him... I only left for maybe five minutes, not more!"

"Damn... no trace of him, Sel?"

"No... he's not in here."

"Well... he must be around here somewhere. It's probably better if we split up and search for him..."

Sel nodded, and a minute later they had set up a plan. The panther would search the west wing of the mall, while Sam and his dad would go in the opposite direction. Even the cashier was committed to do something - as he had access to the mall's speaker system, he agreed to call out for Leo from time to time and notify them if the boy showed up.

As Sel roamed through the crowded hallways, constantly on the look out for Leo, time slowed down. It felt like he was searching for an eternity already, though in reality, only minutes had passed. He asked many strangers if they had seen Leo, but he always got the same answer: No, I haven't seen anything.

After what felt like an eternity, the panther reached a place where multiple hallways met. He stopped for a small break, only for a moment. He was completely out of breath, and he didn't have any idea in which direction he should go first.

A sickening feeling, deep inside him, told him that something was wrong. Very wrong. He leaned against a pillar and closed his eyes, but he wasn't able to focus properly. I'm sure he wouldn't run away... or would he? Did I miss something? Didn't I look careful enough?

His thoughts were interrupted, though, as he felt someone approaching him.

"Excuse me?" the stranger asked. "You're searching for a lynx boy, aren't you?"

"YES! Have you seen him?"

"Maybe. I think I saw him a few minutes ago... but he wasn't alone. A crossbreed dog was with him... kind of a creepy guy, if you ask me."

Sel's heart stood still as he heard that. Panic rushed through his whole body, and his paws started to tremble uncontrollably.

"W-where did they go?"

"They were heading to the staff area... the door right next to the big electronics store."

Sel didn't waste any second. He rushed through the hallways, shoved furs out of his way, until he finally reached his destination. The door was exactly where the stranger had told him - and it was slightly ajar. The panther walked closer and slipped through, as quiet as possible.

He found himself in a long hallway, door after door lining up on both sides. Sel had no idea where all these doors might lead him, let alone where he should start looking. There wasn't any sign, any indicator which door he should choose - and so he decided to try a different approach first.

He sneaked forward, slow and careful, laying an ear on every door he reached. At the first few, he could hear nothing at all - but then, he didn't remember how many doors he had checked before, he heard something. A sound came from behind the door, almost inaudible, and the panther perked his ears. He shuddered as he heard a quiet whimper, a sound of desperation and fear.

As careful as possible, he pulled the handle down - luckily, the door was unlocked, and so he pushed it open slowly. The room behind was full of shelves and cabinets, a lot of them containing cleaning utensils or various tools. It was dark in here, except for a light on the other end of the room - but a big cabinet blocked Sel's view, and so he couldn't see the source of the light.

The panther sneaked around the cabinet, and as he was finally able to see something, he froze in shock.

Dim lights illuminated a big, wooden table. On top of it, wrists and ankles tied onto the wood, was Leo. He was laying on his back, completely naked. His eyes were closed shut, and tears ran down the whimpering cub's cheeks.

In the shadows beside him stood a crossbreed dog, about Sel's age. He was wearing a uniform, the same that Sel had seen the mall staff wearing before.

The dog was moving, but Sel could barely see anything - at least until the canine stepped into the light. The panther inhaled sharply as he realized what was going on.

The dog was about to unbutton his pants as he moved closer to his victim - but he must have heard Sel's breath. His head shot around and he quickly let go of his pants. In a split second, he reached out at the table next to him, grabbed a large knife and pressed it against Leo's throat.

"One step closer and he's dead."

The dog's voice was calm, quiet, without any trace of panic or fear - but cold as ice. It sent shivers down Sel's spine, and he didn't doubt, not even for a second, that the dog was serious. The panther froze, he didn't even dare to move a muscle.

"What a cute boy he is..." the crossbreed said, smiling down at the cub. "Don't you think so?"

Sel wasn't able to move. He couldn't understand what was happening, neither did he knew what he should do, what he should say to save Leo. But the dog didn't care about it anyway, as he continued without waiting for an answer.

"It would be a shame if a cutie like him wouldn't be... used properly before I'll shut him up forever..."

The canine paused, frowning as he thought about something.

"Why don't we just share him? Go on, do whatever you like, whatever hides inside the most depraved depths of your mind - he won't be able to tell anyone, I promise."

Sel's heart skipped a beat as he realized what an abominable offer the dog had just made. The panther shook his head, horrified by the whole situation. He can't be serious... that can't be true...

"Please... Let him go... take me instead, but please, let him go..."

An ice cold laugh filled the room.

"Why should I take a hostage? It would be easy to kill you both. So easy, just like every time... By the time someone finds your bodies, I'll be far away already."

"Please... don't kill him..." Sel begged, a single tear running through his black fur.

As the dog noticed that, his expression changed. A look of realization now stood on his face, and he chuckled.

"Oh, I almost missed that little detail... you actually love him, don't you? What are you, his father?"

"Adoptive father..." Sel mumbled, unsure about where the conversation would lead them.

"I see, I see..." the dog said as a vicious smile crept on his face.

"Let him go... please..."

"Releasing him? I'm afraid that's not possible... But I've got an even better idea."

The canine released his knife from Leo's throat, and for a moment, not more than a split second, Sel thought that he would give up - but his hope was in vain.

"Let's see how much you will like it to watch him die, slow and painful!"

And before Sel could do anything, the dog thrust his knife into Leo's chest.